I Hope You Dance
by Seshat0120
Summary: Late at night, Thelma Beckett reflects on her hopes for the future of her son.


**I Hope You Dance**

_by Seshat0120_

_Disclaimer: Quantum Leap and all related characters are owned by Belisarius Productions and Universal. No profit has been made off of the writing or distribution of this piece of fiction._

_Author's Note – This story was inspired by the song "I Hope You Dance" by LeeAnn Womack_

Thelma looked down at the infant nestled in her arms as the bottle slipped from his slack mouth as he drifted back to sleep. At a month old, sleeping still seemed to be little Sam's favorite hobby.

He was her second child. Her oldest, Tommy, was six years old. If there were ever two children more unlike each other, it was her two boys. She remembered back to when Tommy had been an infant just home. The child had squalled and cried for hours on end and she and her husband, John, had been at their wits end more than once as to what to do to settle the child down. Thankfully, he'd eventually grown out of it.

Sam, on the other hand, was a very happy, placid baby. That didn't mean he wasn't given to fits of crying like his brother had been. He just didn't do it as much. For the most part, he'd lie quietly in his crib and look around at the world around him with wide eyes. Thelma got the feeling that he was absorbing everything that he saw and was filing the information away to use later.

It was late night. She'd long ago settled Tommy in bed for the night. John was out in the barn tending to one of the cows who seemed to be poorly. She thought she was alone in the room with her infant son. He'd woken from sleep a short time ago ready for his next feeding. As soon as she'd put the nipple to the bottle in his mouth, he'd quieted down immediately, happily sucking until it was dry.

She turned to put the empty bottle down on the table next to here careful to protect the child's head from hitting the arm of the rocker. Once she'd disposed of the bottle, she turned her attention back to the sleeping infant and gently stroked her finger down his soft cheek.

"Oh my little, Sammy," she whispered to him. "I do so hope life treats you well, Little One. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was holding your brother Tommy just like this but now look at him. Every day he seems to grow up more and more and he'll be going off to school in just about a week." She fell silent looking down at the baby and slowly rocked him.

"I hope you get everything you want in this life, Little One," she continued. "I hope you reach for the stars and touch them. I hope you find love and you're never hurt." She paused looking down thoughtfully at the child before continuing, "I hope you dance, Sammy," she finished softly.

She startled when she heard the voice of her oldest son. "Why do you want Sammy to dance, Mama?" he asked. She hadn't been aware of his arrival in the room.

"Land sakes, Child," she softly exclaimed. "You startled me. You're supposed to be in bed. What are you doing up?"

Taking his mother's question as an invitation, Tommy came further into the room and stopped so that he was leaning against the rocking chair his mother sat on and looked down critically at his new brother. "Why do you want Sammy to dance?" he asked again conveniently ignoring the question his mother had asked him.

Thelma laughed softly at her son's question. "Oh Tommy, I don't mean that I really want Sammy to dance. He's too young for that."

The child looked at her confused. "So why'd you say that, then?"

Thelma looked down lovingly at first her infant son and then her oldest. She put her arm around Tommy drawing him in close. "When I said I want Sammy to dance," she started to explain, "I mean I want him to do everything he can in his life." Seeing that her words still weren't making sense to Tommy, she tried to explain it differently. "It's kind of like tag. It's a whole lot of fun to get out there with the other kids and run around and play it but it's not so much fun to just sit and watch. I want your brother to always play and not just sit on the side." She paused for a moment, brushing Tommy's hair back from his face. "I want the same things for you, Tommy."

"Oh," the little boy said in sudden comprehension. "You want us to always try our best."

Leaning down to kiss the child on the forehead, Thelma beamed. "That's exactly what I mean, Tommy. I want you and Sammy to always try your best and do everything that you can. I want you to do everything you can to make your dreams come true." Again she brushed the hair back from her son's face. "Right now, though, it's time for you to be in bed."

She rose from the rocking chair and carried the sleeping infant to the crib lowering him down to it. Once her youngest was settled, Thelma leaned down to pick up her oldest child cuddling him to her and carried him from the room to his room. She lowered him down to the bed and tucked the blankets around him making sure he was warm. Once again she kissed him on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, Tommy."

"'Night, Mama," the child said snuggling into the covers. As his mother got up from her seat at the side of the bed, Tommy raised his head and looked over to her. "I'm gonna dream about dancing, Mama," he told her with a smile before once more snuggling down into the covers.

As Thelma left Tommy's room, pulling the door partially shut behind her, she saw her husband, John, coming up the hallway. "Everything ok?" he asked her slipping an arm around her waist and leading her back to their room.

"Just fine, John. I was just tucking Tommy in again." She paused just outside the door to their bedroom. "Have you ever wondered what the boys will do when they're grown?" she asked her husband.

John sensed the seriousness of his wife's question and hesitated just for a moment before answering. "I can't say that I have but whatever those two do, I know they'll do their best and make their mark." He leaned down to kiss his wife lovingly before leading her into the bedroom.

As Thelma let John lead her back into the bedroom she silently sent up a prayer for her children. "Let them dance, Lord. Let them dance."


End file.
